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Readers of Catholic Online are familiar with the group which calls itself the “Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence.” They claim international membership. One of their most active chapters is located in San Francisco, California. They summarize their mission as “Defining San Francisco Values Since 1979” on their outlandish San Francisco web site. In an editorial in 2007 entitled “Scandal in San Francisco”, I wrote an account of their sacrilegious activities during Holy Mass on October 7, 2007 at the Most Holy Redeemer Parish in San Francisco, California. They hate the Catholic Church because she stands for the truth concerning the dignity...

Roman Catholics from near and far will gather in St. Louis to mark the installation of Archbishop Robert Carlson. An elaborate Mass to mark his beginning as archbishop of the St. Louis Archdiocese will be held at 2 p.m. Wednesday at the Cathedral Basilica. He'll lead a region with nearly half a million Catholics. Carlson says he will be firm on church teaching, but he believes in dialogue - even with those he may disagree with. He says without that communication, it's impossible to get someone else's point of view. The 64-year-old most recently served as the bishop of the...

New York Archbishop Timothy Dolan hasn’t wasted time getting his hands dirty. In his first two weeks on the job, the city's Roman Catholic leader has toured the World Trade Center site. He threw out a pitch for the Mets and noshed on city hot dogs. Now, he’s getting close to a 100-ton boring machine. Dolan will bless the drill used to dig the $2.1 billion extension of the No. 7 line Friday, MTA officials announced. Sandhogs now cutting the 7,100-foot twin tunnels flowing west from Times Square requested Dolan’s grace. Priests have blessed the subway drills over the years,...

Pope Benedict XVI has named a Midwesterner — though one with no local roots — as the next Roman Catholic archbishop of St. Louis. The 64-year-old archbishop-elect, Bishop Robert J. Carlson, has led the Saginaw, Mich. diocese since 2005. He will be the 10th ordinary, or leader, of St. Louis Catholics since 1827. Carlson, a veteran administrator with 25 years’ experience leading dioceses, succeeds Archbishop Raymond Burke, whose four-and-a-half year tenure as St. Louis Catholic leader ended in June when the pope named him to lead the Vatican’ s supreme court. Like Burke, Carlson is trained as a canon, or...

AMDG Installation Homily JMJ "This is the day the Lord has made! Let us rejoice and be glad! Alleluia!""He has risen as He said, alleluia! alleluia!""Jesus Christ yesterday and today, the beginning and the end, Alpha and Omega.All time belongs to Himand all the ages, to Him be glory and power! Amen!"You are all so very welcome here, in this "Cathedral of suitable magnificence," as Archbishop John Hughes, whose cross I wear today, termed it, that has been such a warm, embracing spiritual home for untold millions. Thank you, thank you all for so personally supporting me as I begin...

Archbishop Charles Chaput spoke about how Catholics should live out their faith in the public square. He warned that in the U.S., Catholics need to act on their faith and be on guard against "a spirit of adulation bordering on servility" that exists towards the Obama administration. But whatever his strengths, there’s no way to reinvent his record on abortion and related issues with rosy marketing about unity, hope and change. But as Catholics, we at least need to be honest with ourselves and each other about the political facts we start with." According to the archbishop, the political situation...

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth (Genesis 1:1). The question of the age of the earth has produced heated discussions on debate boards, classrooms, TV, radio, and in many churches, Christian colleges, and seminaries. The primary sides are: *Young earth proponents (biblical age of the earth and universe of about 6,000 years)1 *Old earth proponents (secular age of the earth of about 4.5 billion years and a universe about 14 billion years old)2 The difference is immense! Let’s give a little history of where these two basic calculations came from and which worldview is more reasonable...

Archbishop Timothy Dolan Rome, Italy, Feb 13, 2009 / 02:30 pm (CNA).- The eagerly anticipated appointment of the new Archbishop of New York appears to be just around the corner. The well-connected Italian journalist Paolo Rodari, who writes for Il Reformista, is reporting that Archbishop Timothy Dolan of Milwaukee will soon be announced as the new head of the most important U.S. diocese.Church watchers have been itching to hear who will replace Cardinal Edward Egan for almost two years and as Rodari reports, "the announcement should arrive shortly."Rumors have been circulating with increasing frequency over the past several weeks,...

Poll reveals public doubts over Charles Darwin's theory of evolution Belief in creationism is widespread in Britain, according to a new survey. ... More than half of the public believe that the theory of evolution cannot explain the full complexity of life on Earth, and a "designer" must have lent a hand, the findings suggest. And one in three believe that God created the world within the past 10,000 years. The survey, by respected polling firm ComRes, will fuel the debate around evolution and creationism ahead of next week's 200th anniversary of the birth of Charles Darwin...

The election of Barack Obama as the first African-American US President could pave the way for the election of the first black Pope, according to a leading black American Catholic. Wilton Daniel Gregory, 60, the Archbishop of Atlanta, said that in the past Pope Benedict XVI had himself suggested that the election of a black pontiff would "send a splendid signal to the world" about the universal Church. Archbishop Gregory, who in 2001 became the first African American to head the US Bishops Conference, serving for three years, said that the election of Mr Obama was "a great step forward...

Wednesday October 1, 2008 Oregon Archbishop Criticizes Catholic Governor for Hosting Pro-Abortion Event By Kathleen GilbertPORTLAND, October 1, 2008 (LifeSiteNews.com) - Portland Archbishop John Vlazny has criticized Democratic Gov. Ted Kulongoski of Oregon for bringing scandal to fellow Catholics by hosting an abortion rights fundraiser only two days before Portland's annual "Respect Life" Mass.  Kulongoski and his wife, both professed Catholics, are the honorary hosts of a two-day fundraiser for NARAL Pro-Choice Oregon."This is a source of embarrassment for our church and a scandal for the Catholic community," Vlazny said in a statement. "For a Catholic governor to host...

LONDON (CNS) -- Anglican Archbishop Rowan Williams of Canterbury, England, has come under fire for his homily during a pilgrimage to the Marian sanctuaries in Lourdes, France. Archbishop Williams, leader of the worldwide Anglican Communion, said in a homily during a Sept. 24 international Mass at Lourdes that when Mary appeared to St. Bernadette Soubirous in 1858 "she came at first as an anonymous figure, a beautiful lady, a mysterious thing, not yet identified as the Lord's spotless mother. "And Bernadette -- uneducated, uninstructed in doctrine -- leaped with joy, recognizing that here was life, here was healing," he said....

Christians in the Middle East are facing persecution because of British and American foreign policy, the Archbishop of Canterbury will claim today. Dr Rowan Williams will say that many Christians have been forced to flee their homes in the Holy Land because of 'appalling pressure' from extremist Islamic groups. And he will warn that historic communities risk becoming mere 'museum pieces' in the 'theme park' Middle East because of the military policies of the West. During an appearance in London yesterday, he said there was a risk that the region could become a "monochrome" area dominated by an "unfriendly" form...

The beloved Archbishop of Mosul,Iraq was found dead, another True Martyr in Iraq.Catholic Online pledges our prayer and solidarity to our Chaldean Catholic brothers and sisters in Iraq, in America and throughout the world.

A Chaldean Catholic archbishop kidnapped last month in northern Iraq has been found dead, the information service of the Italian Catholic Church said Thursday. The body of Paulos Faraj Rahho, the archbishop of Mosul, was found near the northern city, the Church said, quoting the auxiliary archbishop of Baghdad, Shlemon Warduni. "We recovered his body near Mosul," Warduni said, according to the Church's news agency SIR. "The kidnappers had buried him." Rahho was kidnapped on February 29 in Mosul after a deadly shootout in which three of his companions were killed. Iraqi forces in Mosul had fanned out to search...

The assault against Catholics in Iraq has continued, and sadly, is escalating....We call on President Bush and the current American administration to do everything within their power to secure the release of Archbishop Rahho.

One of the great appeals that religion has had for people throughout history is that, through its particular doctrine a religion makes sense of existence for them. It gives purpose, it sets forth rules to live by and a corresponding moral code. And then there is the Church of England...

PHILLIPS: Well, this is the problem with the archbishop. He thinks that it`s possible to have a nice kind of Sharia, a liberal, western kind of Sharia and not have, you know, amputations and stonings and all that sort of stuff. And I`m afraid he`s very naive. He doesn`t actually understand what Sharia is. But it`s not simply the Sharia courts that you just mentioned, which operate outside the criminal law in administering justice. We also now have Sharia-compliant finance, Sharia-compliant mortgages. Our prime minister has said he wants Britain to be the center of Islamic financing. Our state welfare...

(Speaking to the General Synod, Dr Williams refused to apologise for his remarks but admitted he had been 'clumsy') The Queen is distressed by the row over Islamic law which she fears threatens to undermine the authority of the Archbishop of Canterbury and damage the Church of England. Speaking to the General Synod, Dr Williams refused to apologise for his remarks but admitted he had been 'clumsy' According to a royal source, the Queen has not expressed any view on whether Dr Rowan Williams was unwise to say it was "unavoidable" that aspects of the sharia legal system could be...

The British tabloids are right to bash the archbishop of Canterbury. Is this a storm in a teacup, as the archbishop now claims? Was the "feeding frenzy" biased and unfair? Certainly, it is true that, since last Thursday, when Rowan Williams—the archbishop of Canterbury, spiritual leader of the Church of England, symbolic leader of the international Anglican Church—called for "constructive accommodation" with some aspects of sharia law and declared the incorporation of Muslim religious law into the British legal system "unavoidable," practically no insult has been left unsaid. One Daily Telegraph columnist called the archbishop's statement a "disgraceful act of...

WASHINGTON -- Islam has a new convert. Some will be surprised, but I am not. The newest convert to the religion of the unshaven face is Archbishop Rowan Williams. Dr. Williams has been the spiritual leader of the Anglican Church in the U.K. However, after his Feb. 7 interview on the BBC, I think we all can agree that he is not so much a spiritual leader as a spiritual capitulator. In his wonderfully wooly-headed interview, derived from a public lecture delivered by him at the Royal Courts of Justice, Williams called on his countrymen to arrive at "constructive accommodation"...

"Latest story: The Archbishop of Canterbury caused consternation yesterday by calling for Islamic law to be recognised in Britain. He declared that Sharia and Parliamentary law should be given equal legal status so the people could choose which governs their lives."

Carey weighs into Sharia law row Lord Carey said his successor was a "great leader" Pressure has mounted on the Archbishop of Canterbury after his comments about Islamic Sharia law were criticised by his predecessor.Lord Carey said Dr Rowan Williams's suggested acceptance of some Muslim laws was "a view I cannot share". But, writing in the News of the World, he said Dr Williams should not be forced to quit. Dr Williams has insisted he was not advocating a parallel set of laws, but has faced calls for his resignation. Supporters have described the reaction to his comments as...

The Archbishop of Canterbury will try to put aside the row over sharia law as he makes his first public appearance since the controversy erupted. Dr Rowan Williams hit back on Friday night over criticism of his comments amid growing calls for his resignation. He made no proposals for sharia, and "certainly did not call for its introduction as some kind of parallel jurisdiction to the civil law... his core aim was "to tease out some of the broader issues around the rights of religious groups within a secular state". At least two Synod members have already called for Dr...

Dr Rowan Williams, the Archbishop of Canterbury, has sparked a political storm by calling for aspects of Sharia law to be adopted in Britain. Your View: Is Sharia law in Britain unavoidable? Christopher Howse: Sharia is no law for Britain Damian Thompson: Williams' authority is in tatters Dr Williams said it "seems inevitable" that elements of Islamic law, such as divorce proceedings, would be incorporated into British law. Dr Williams backs adopting parts of Islamic Sharia law Dr Williams said the UK had to "face up to the fact" that some citizens do not relate to the British legal system,...

The Archbishop of Canterbury said yesterday that the Christmas story of the Three Wise Men was nothing but a 'legend'. Dr Rowan Williams has claimed there was little evidence that the Magi even existed and there was certainly nothing to prove there were three of them or that they were kings. Dr Williams argued that the traditional Christmas story was nothing but a 'legend' He said the only reference to the wise men from the East was in Matthew's gospel and the details were very vague. Dr Williams said: "Matthew's gospel says they are astrologers, wise men, priests from somewhere...

09/12/07 - News section Archbishop of York cuts up his dog collar in astonishing live TV protest at Mugabe By STEVE DOUGHTY The Archbishop of York cut up his dog collar on live television yesterday in protest over Robert Mugabe's rule of Zimbabwe. Dr John Sentamu said he would refuse to wear the Anglican symbol of office until Mugabe was no longer in power. The Ugandan-born churchman will not replace his dog collar "even for the Queen", aides said. Scroll down for more... His demonstration follows Mugabe's controversial presence at the EU summit with African leaders in Lisbon. Gordon Brown...

THE Archbishop of Canterbury has said that the United States wields its power in a way that is worse than Britain during its imperial heyday. Rowan Williams claimed that America’s attempt to intervene overseas by “clearing the decks” with a “quick burst of violent action” had led to “the worst of all worlds”. In a wide-ranging interview with a British Muslim magazine, the Anglican leader linked criticism of the United States to one of his most pessimistic declarations about the state of western civilisation. He said the crisis was caused not just by America’s actions but also by its misguided...

A funeral service including Jewish prayers has been held at Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris for Cardinal Jean-Marie Lustiger                                                                                                                                                                          Cardinal Lustiger worked to improve Catholic-Jewish relations            The former Archbishop of Paris, who died on Sunday aged 80, was born Aaron Lustiger to Polish Jews who had settled in France before World War I. The French President, Nicolas Sarkozy, interrupted his summer holiday in the United States to attend the funeral. Cardinal Lustiger became a Catholic at the start of World War II. The ceremonies at Notre Dame began with a reading of a Jewish psalm, followed by...

At Noon today in Rome (12 Jul / 06:00 ET), it was announced that the Most Reverend Edwin F. O'Brien has been appointed by His Holiness, Pope Benedict XVI, as the 15th Bishop of the Archdiocese of Baltimore.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. --Roman Catholic Bishop Joseph Kurtz was named archbishop of Louisville by Pope Benedict XVI, succeeding Thomas C. Kelly, who guided the archdiocese through one of its most tumultuous times amid a clergy sex abuse scandal. Kurtz, 60, has served as bishop of the 50,000-member diocese of Knoxville, Tenn., since 1999. Before that, he was a priest for 27 years in the Diocese of Allentown in Pennsylvania. Kelly turned 75, the normal retirement age for bishops, last July, but remained on the job until his successor was chosen. The Louisville archdiocese spans 24 counties with more than 200,000 Catholics....

Citing singer Sheryl Crow's stance on abortion, Archibishop Raymond Burke said today he has resigned from the board of the Cardinal Glennon Children's Foundation, the fundraising arm of Cardinal Glennon Children's Medical Center, in protest over Crow's participation in an upcoming fundraiser.

PARIS (Reuters) - The spiritual leader of the world's 77 million Anglicans has said conservative Christians who cite the Bible to condemn homosexuality are misreading a key passage written by Saint Paul almost 2,000 years ago. Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams, addressing theology students in Toronto, said an oft-quoted passage in Paul's Epistle to the Romans meant to warn Christians not to be self-righteous when they see others fall into sin. His comments were an unusually open rebuff to conservative bishops, many of them from Africa, who have been citing the Bible to demand that pro-gay Anglican majorities in the...

How can Anglicans and Catholics get together again? by Philip Otterman Translation of German article in the Spiegel Proposals are being drawn-up in a 42 page document by an international commission for the unification of both churches. This however has little to do with the day-to-day reality of the Church of England.

Via Cosmos-Liturgy-SexArchbishop Fulton Sheen’s Cause for Canonization has been moving forward quite well lately. I hear that it appears that the miracle needed for his beatification will be found among those which have been pouring in recently (one of them, which I believe may already have been verified, was from a woman from my parish). A concern is that since he was such a prolific writer, the review of his voluminous writings may not be completed for some time and could, therefore, delay the process.For the review process, each document must be reviewed by two qualified persons. Qualified means: a...

The newly-appointed archbishop of Warsaw resigned today after admitting he had spied for Poland's communist-era secret services, the Vatican's mission in Poland said. The mission said in a statement Pope Benedict had accepted Bishop Stanislaw Wielgus's resignation

SPIRITUALITY was an eclectic experience amid the pageantry at the installation yesterday of Melbourne’s new Anglican archbishop, Dr Philip Freier. Befitting a ceremony for a former bishop of the Northern Territory, there were some indigenous touches to the formalities. In St Paul’s Cathedral, a bare-chested man from the Yorta Yorta rubbed shoulders with a former Supreme Court judge, Clive Tadgell, who is chancellor of the Melbourne diocese. When the moment came to welcome Archbishop Freier, the Yorta Yorta man, John Tye, produced a didgeridoo and was a procession of one up the aisle. The representatives of 38 denominations and faiths...

Anglican and Roman Catholic delegations have gathered in Rome this week for the historic meeting of Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams and the Pope Benedict XVI, and to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the Anglican Center in Rome.Wed, Nov. 22, 2006 Posted: 11:13:20 AM EST Anglican and Roman Catholic delegations have gathered in Rome this week for the historic meeting of Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams and the Pope Benedict XVI, and to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the Anglican Center in Rome. On Tuesday night, Williams addressed a congregation at St Anselmo Church and Religious Community, saying that modern...

BBC frightened of criticising Islam, says archbishop By Jonathan Petre, Religion Correspondent Last Updated: 2:21am GMT 14/11/2006 The Archbishop of York, Dr John Sentamu, has accused the BBC of bias against Christianity and says the broadcaster fears a terrorist backlash if it is critical of Islam. The archbishop, the second most senior figure in the Church of England's hierarchy, said Christians took "more knocks" than other faiths at the hands of the BBC. Dr Sentamu claims Christians take ‘more knocks' at the BBC "They can do to us what they dare not do to the Muslims," he said. "We are...

One of the Church of England's most senior figures today risks a row with the Muslim community by suggesting that Islamic women should not wear veils in public.In a wide-ranging interview with the Daily Mail, Dr John Sentamu warns that 'no minority' should impose its beliefs on the rest of society and that the veil causes Muslim women to 'stick out'. The Archbishop of York - who ranks second in the Church's hierarchy - also says the BBC is biased against Christians because Anglicans don't threaten to 'bomb' the corporation. And in a strongly-worded analysis of the state of modern...

Archbishop denounces 'bigoted' faith schools policy By Jonathan Petre, Religion Correspondent Last Updated: 2:52am BST 24/10/2006 Head teachers at every Roman Catholic school in the country have been urged to tell their MPs of their "outrage" at Government proposals to force new faith schools to admit up to a quarter of their pupils from families of other religions or none. The Archbishop of Birmingham, the Most Rev Vincent Nichols, has written to the heads as part of a campaign against the proposals, which he denounces today as bigoted and prejudiced. The archbishop has launched his attack in an article for...

WASHINGTON, September 27 (UPI) — A Roman Catholic archbishop, whom the Vatican says has been excommunicated, Wednesday rejected the Holy See's disciplinary action.      "We do not accept this excommunication and lovingly return it to His Holiness, our beloved Pope Benedict XVI, to reconsider it and withdraw it and join us in recalling married priests to service once again," said Emmanuel Milingo, the Catholic Church's former leader of its Zambian parishes.      Earlier this week, the Vatican said Milingo had excommunicated himself by an illicit consecration of four married men as bishops and also by his public promotion of a...

While many questions remain, the Vatican has released a statement today formally excommunicating Abp. Milingo. Here is the press release in Italian. Amy has an unofficial English translation. Ed Peters posts some initial thoughts on the statement. Jimmy Akin suggests that consecrating bishops without a Papal mandate should itself be an act of schism, and hints at a very disturbing possibility: "As tragic as [this] situation is, I fear that an even greater tragedy may be about to unfold. Since the debacle following Vatican II, the Holy See has been terrified of a major schism occurring that would involve...

VATICAN CITY, SEPT. 6, 2006 (Zenit.org).- Benedict XVI has appointed Archbishop James P. Green as apostolic nuncio in Lesotho. Since Aug. 17, Archbishop Green, a 56-year-old native of Philadelphia, has been apostolic nuncio of South Africa and Namibia and apostolic delegate in Botswana. The Vatican press office announced his additional post today. Until August, the then Monsignor Green was nunciature adviser in the General Affairs Section of the Vatican Secretariat of State. He was ordained a priest in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia in May 1976. After obtaining a licentiate in canon law, he entered the Vatican diplomatic service in March...

Dear Professor Maguire,As the bishop of the archdiocese where you reside, I am obliged to reply to your circular form-letter, sent to the bishops of the country on June 19, 2006.The opinions expressed in the two pamphlets enclosed in that correspondence are totally at odds with clear Church teaching. Sacred Scripture, the Magisterium, and Natural Law are consistent in opposition to abortion and so-called same-sex marriage.You speak of your duty to dissent. Well, at least call it such. To claim that support for abortion and same-sex "marriage" is consonant with Catholic moral teaching is preposterous and disingenuous.I, too, have a...

PEORIA - Copies of a report on an alleged miracle that took place in 1999 through the intercession of the late Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen were signed and sealed Sunday by Roman Catholic Church officials. The 500-page report and supporting documents will now be delivered to Rome by canon lawyer Andrea Ambrosi, postulator of the cause to have Sheen recognized as a saint. There, Ambrosi will argue to a Vatican panel that this case and another being prepared in the Diocese of Pittsburgh are evidence of Sheen's sainthood. Sheen, who was born in the Woodford County town of El Paso...

Just when you thought it was safe, there's a story out there that Archbishop Emmanuel Milingo will soon resurface with some interesting company.... Word quickly flying around indicates that the colorful Zambian prelate, who yet again went missing some weeks back and has been the subject of a missing-person search by his home government, skipped Rome in late June with George Augustus Stallings, patriarch of the breakaway African American Catholic Congregation, based in Washington. Stallings, a onetime priest of the archdiocese of Washington, established his base at the Imani Temple, where he was ordained a bishop in the lineage of...

VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - Pope Benedict on Tuesday named Donald W. Wuerl, bishop of Pittsburgh, to be the new archbishop of Washington D.C., one of the most prestigious posts in the American Catholic Church, the Vatican said.Wuerl succeeds Cardinal Theodore E. McCarrick, 75, who is retiring after five years in the job.The post of archbishop of Washington is one of the most influential in American Catholicism because of the regular contacts the prelate has with the White House and other branches of U.S. government.Wuerl, 65, has been bishop of Pittsburgh since 1988. He was ordained a priest in 1966. Before...

Bishop Wuerl Appointed Archbishop Of Washington (KDKA) PITTSBURGH Pope Benedict XVI has appointed Bishop Donald W. Wuerl to succeed Cardinal Theodore E. McCarrick as archbishop of Washington D.C. Archbishop Pietro Sambi, apostolic nuncio to the United States, made the announcement Tuesday morning. Pope Benedict accepted the retirement of Cardinal McCarrick who had served in Washington since his appointment on Nov. 21, 2000. Archbishop-designate Wuerl will continue to serve as bishop of the Diocese of Pittsburgh until his installation as archbishop of Washington on June 22. "The decision of our Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI, to transfer me to the Archdiocese...

San Antonio Archbishop José Gomez says he'll adhere to his faith and break the law if a congressional proposal criminalizing humanitarian assistance to undocumented immigrants prevails, though he'd consult with fellow Texas bishops before asking subordinates to follow his lead. [. . .] The archbishop, himself an immigrant from Monterrey, Mexico, told the Express-News Tuesday that "if they push us to that point, we'll have to choose (between faith and the law). It's a non-negotiable principle of our faith that we must welcome the immigrant and practice charity." Referring to a bill passed by the House in December, which includes...